australiaa n societ s y fo r mumsic education e The decline and revival of music i ncorporated education in New South Wales schools, 1920-1956 Marilyn Chaseling School of Education, Southern Cross University, NSW. Email:
[email protected] William E. Boyd School of Science, Environment & Engineering, Southern Cross University, NSW. Email:
[email protected] Abstract This paper overviews the decline and revival of music education in New South Wales schools from 1920 to 1956. Commencing with a focus on vocal music during the period up to 1932, a time of decline in music teaching, the paper examines initiatives introduced in 1933 to address shortcomings in music education, and the subsequent changes in curriculum and teaching during the 1930s. Evidence of a variable revival lies in the school choral music movement of 1939 to 1956, and in how music education diversified beyond its vocal heritage from the late 1930s and early 1940s, with new emphasis on music appreciation, percussion, flutes, and recorders. By the mid 1950s, involvement in, and quality of, school instrumental music was continuously improving. Key words: school choral music, school choirs, Theodore Tearne, Herbert Treharne, Barbara Mettan, Victor McMahon, flute bands, percussion bands, inspectors of schools Australian Journal of Music Education 2014:2,46-61 Introduction children could be assembled, at short notice, to form choirs to perform at celebratory or This paper explores music in New South Wales commemorative events:4 a choir of over 5,000 (NSW) state primary schooling from 1920 to children performed in 1897 for the Jubilee 1956, through the lens of music teaching and Celebrations of Queen Victoria, and the hand- 1 practice, building on the research of Dugdale picked choir of three thousand sang at the Public 2 and of Stevens into music in NSW state primary School’s Patriotic Display in 1900;5 a colossal choir schools prior to 1920.